Many people utilize computer-based mapping applications to obtain directions to various locations. A person typically inputs a starting point and a destination, and obtains one or more route options. Upon selecting a route, or obtaining a single route, the user can also receive directions for the route and a graphical representation of the route, along with a length of time that the route will take. The person is not able to enter a time that the user intends to leave the starting point, or a time at which the user desires to arrive at the destination. Conventional approaches provide a predicted length of time of the route, but do not offer actual departure and arrival times. If a person has an appointment at 1:15 p.m. and the trip is estimated to take 79 minutes, the person must figure out when the person must leave, which can be a potential source of error or confusion. Further, the time of day can affect the overall length of the trip. For example, going through a downtown of a major city during rush hour can take a significantly different amount of time than going through that city in the middle of the night. Conventional mapping approaches do not factor in this information.
Further, conventional mapping approaches do not provide for a deeper level of trip planning when getting information for a lengthy trip. For example, a person might plan a trip from Seattle to Los Angeles that may take about twenty hours. A conventional mapping approach will provide continuous directions to Los Angeles, without factoring in that the person might want to split the trip over two or three days, and might want to stop at various points along the way. If a person wants to obtain directions to hotels, restaurants, points of interest, or other such locations, the person typically must use a separate application to obtain the location of any of these stops and then manually obtain directions to each of these stops. Even when a mapping application enables a user to add a waypoint, the directions do not provide timing information or break up the trip according to how the user will actually follow the route.